Method of treating bitumens and/or crude petroleum



Nov. 1.0, 1942. P. wAsHBuRN 2,30'595 METHOD OF TREATING BITUMENS AND/OR CRUDE PETROLEUM Filed Sept. 2. 1939 l Patented Nov. l0, 1942 1.1151111113- STATI-:s PATENT orriosu LIETHOD F TREATING BITUMENS AND/ 0R CRUDE PETROLEUM v Paul Washburn, Glendale, Calif.

Application September 2, 1939, Serial No. 293,228

9 Claims. (Cl. 196-1) My invention relates to a method or process of treating crude petroleum, bitumens, and the like, and has 'forl its principal object, the provision of a relatively simple and easily practicedl method whereby the components of crude petromoisture that is injected in the form of ne mistv or spray into the chamber and such conversion of the liquid and its diffusion with moisture being repeated in succession in separate chambers, depending upon the character of the petroleum being treated, second, the injection of the spray or mist into a chamber in which temperatures below freezing are maintained in order to freeze the microscopic particles of mist or spray, third, mechanically grinding or disintegrating the frozen particles of hydrocarbon spray or mist to further break up the molecular` structure of the hydrocarbon and the moisture that was diffused therewith durlng the rst step of the process and fourth, the subjecting of the finely divided frozen particles to melting temperature within a chamber so' as to'eiect segregation of all component gases and combustible matter comprising the component parts of the treated liquid hydrocarbon.

In accordance with my invention, the crude petroleum or bitumen is solidified, preferably by freezing, so as to convert all liquid formations into solids.

Where bitumen is in solid formation like coal, or of semisolid formation like shales, the same is reduced to dry powders and, where the bitumen or crude ,petroleum is in liquid form, the same is soliclled byfreezing and, the solid product is by suitable mechanical means ground or pulverized so as to produce bituminous ice particles that are microscopic in size.

In the treatment of liquid bitumens, the same are converted into spray or mist having extremely small particles and, such spray or mist is frozen by being discharged into a suitable container having temperatures below freezing and a suitable state of air saturation so as to affect and reduce the constituency of the raw bitumen.

The action of spraying the petroleum or bituthat the volume of air may be in constant proportion and control to the volume of liquid bitumen or petroleum to eiect hardest freezing of the most minute particles of the mist or spray, thus producing a bituminous sleet that includes its own moisture and the bituminous product or crude petroleum retaining all portions of its component hydrocarbons and constituent substances.

After the spray nas been frozen into microscopic brittle .ice particles, it is subjected to mechanical grinding or disintegration so as to further decrease the size of the microscopic frozen particles, so as to further break up and diffuse the molecular structure of the hydrocarbons including the moisture or water content of the products under treatment with the moisture that has been combined with the liquid hydrocarbon at the time the same was converted into mist or spray.

been frozen and the frozen particles broken up in accordance with the first steps of the process, the frozen nely divided particles are subjected to melting temperatures by means of suitable heated containers, pipes,` coils, or any other convenient means, so as to effect segregation under control, of all oils and gases. Under the first treatment with melting temperatures the relatively light low boiling point products, such as gasoline, kerosene,` methane, propane, butane, and the like, pass olf in the form of vapors which are recovered in the sequence in which they are vaporized and each vaporized product is recovered and converted into liquid by conventional condensation methods.

Obviously, the heavy hydrocarbons having high boiling points are the last to respond '.'o the melti Y ing! temperatures to be vaporized and segregated men takes place in an air tight container so from the lighter low boiling point products and from each other.

Practically all Crude petroleum contains a cer.

tain degree of moisture and, in the treatment of petroleums that are deflcient in moisture, my process contemplates the addition of a certain amount of moisture, for instance, water or other water or other liquid, prior to the freezing ac- A tion.

Inthe drawing I have shown a simple form of apparatus that may be utilized for practicing my improved method and such apparatus includes one or more air-tight containers I0, into one end of which leads a duct II that delivers liquid hydrocarbon under suiilcient pressure to convert the liquid hydrocarbon into nne spray or mist as it discharges from injection jet nozzles I2 that are located within the container and connected to duct II.

In order to bring about a more effective diffusion of the mist or spray within the container I0, the nozzles I2.may be disposed in angular relationship as illustrated in the drawing or they may be arranged so as to impart whirling movement to the jets of liquid hydrocarbon issuing therefrom.

Certain hydrocarbons require the addition of moisture and such moisture is injected into the container I by means of a jet nozzle I3 that enters the container I0 near the jet nozzles I2 and said nozzle I3 being connected to a duct I4 that supplies air under pressure.

Where a number of containers III are arranged in sequence so as to more effectively convert the liquid hydrocarbon into extremely fine spray or mist, a duct I5 leads from the end of the rst container i0 opposite the end into which the duct II enters and this duct I5 leads to the interior of the next adjacent container Ill and within said last mentioned container the duct is provided with jet nozzles I6 that correspond with the nozzles I2.

Dierent hydrocarbons require different treatment in converting the liquid into nne spray or mist anddiiusing the same with the additional moisture admitted to the containers thro-.ign the ducts I4 and'iets Il.

ture of the hydrocarbon. including the frozen moisture content carried by said. hydrocarbon and which was added and diffused with the spray produced in the chamber or chambers III.

From the grinder 2li the finely divided frozen particles discharge into a container 2| that may be heated by any conventional means, for instance, steam or hot water pipes or coils, or electric heating means, and the minute particles of frozen liquid hydrocarbon aresubjected to temperatures running from 720 to 750 degrees above zero F. and which heating vaporizes all of the component parts of the liquid hydrocarbon and such components'as gasoline, kerosene, methane, propane, butane, and the like, pass oif in the sequence in which they are vaporized and each vaporized product is converted into liquid and recovered by conventional condensation methods. In referring to petroleum and bitumen, Somers in volume I of his Oil and Gas sets forth that Petroleum and natural gas are members of the bitumen family of hydrocarbons. -Bitumens of commercial importance are natural gas, petro'- leum, and asphalt, representing respectively, the

gaseous, liquid and solid members of the group. The chemical composition of both natural gas and petroleum differs greatly in different elds, although the chief constituents are carbon and hydrogen. For this very reason they are not in a true scientic sense, minerals, for a mineral is a substance having a definite chemical substance."

My method of segregating all of the hydrocarbons in crude petroleum and bitumen is effective in the treatment of solid and semisolid bitumens and, likewise effective in the treatment of all liquid bitumens or petroleum regardless voi their differences in chemical composition in different elds. or even in one oil pool or in one oil well in the different producing strata thereof and further, my method is particularly effective and has the economical advantage of recovering all of the From the end of the container opposite the end in which-the jet nozzles are located, where only one container is used or from the corresponding end of the last one in a series of containers, the

diifused nespray or mist passes through a conduit I1 to the interior of a container or housing Il and located on the end of said conduit within said container is a spray nozzle I9. 4

The container Il is equipped with convention refrigeration means capable of lowering the temperature in the chamber within said container to at least 116 degrees below zero l In the treatment of certain hydrocarbons, temperatures of from 130 degrees to 150 degrees below zero F. are required.

As the liquid hydrocarbon discharges from nozzle I9 it is immediately frozen into microscopic particles and from the freezing chamber the particlesare discharged into a` mechanical grinder or disintegrator 2lil which may be of any desired and conventional form. This grinder or disintegrator breaks up and disintegrates the microscopic particles of frozen hydrocarbon so as to decrease the size of such particles and which components of the petroleum or bitumen that is acted upon.

Inasmuch as clean desanded crude petroleum and al1 its component parts, including liquid hydrocarbons, parafllne, waxes, asphalt, tar, and the like,l are combustible, my invention contemplates the treatment of such crude petroleum so that the entire body of treated product may be .pounds of gasoline and other liquid hydrocarbons after the treatment, or where moisture In spray form is added to the sprayed crude during the initial step in the method, the volume cf th product after treatment is correspondingly greater than the amount of the crude at the beginning of the treatment.

As hereinbefore stated, certain crude petro- 4leums do not require the addition of moisture in spray form at the beginning of the treatment while other crudes require the addition of moisture, depending upon their gravities.

In my improved method, there is nothing re- 4moved from the treated crude petroleum and no solvents or the like are added other than a limited amount of moisture which is initially added to certain crude oil that is low in moisture content, and the method acts upon all of the component parts of crude petroleum so as to convert the same into useful products and without the losses that attend the extraction methods now in general use and which include the separation of waxes, parafiine, tar, asphalt. and the like, all of which are combustible, particularly when broken into infinitesimal particles and associated with like particles of liquid hydrocarbons.

In other words, my improved method contemplates the merging or dissolving of the ordinarily extracted products such as paraiiine, waxes, asphalt, tats, and the like, which are of themselves combustible. with combustible liquid hydrocarbons, and consequently gaining an advantage by the useful work accomplished by the otherwise z extracted products.

"Thus it will be sen'that I have 'provided a relatively simple and economical method of treating bitumens and petroleum for the purpose of segregating and recovering in segregated condition the component parts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of treating petroleum which consists in converting petroleum and all of the component parts thereof into mist, combining tand diffusing moisture 'in the form of mist with n consists in converting petroleum and all of the component parts thereof into mist, simultaneously adding thereto finely divided particles of moisture, then freezing the mist particles, then breaking up the frozen particles of mist and then subjecting the broken frozen particles of mist to melting temperatures.

4. The methoi of treating petroleum which 4consists in converting petroleum and all of the component parts thereof into mist, simultaneously adding thereto nely divided particles of moisture, subsequently freezing the mist particles. bre 1 t f; the frozen mist into smaller particles so as to break up the molecular structure of the hydrocarbon including the moisture oi the product under treatment, subjecting the broken mist par-` ticles to melting temperatures and segregating the component liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons Y land all of its component parts and added moisture into mist, solidifying the particles of mist by subjecting the same to freezing temperature, then breaking up the frozen particles of mist and then subjecting the broken particles of frozen mist to l melting temperatures.

6. The method of treating petroleum which consists in simultaneously converting petroleum and all of its component parts and added moisture into mist, solidifying the particles of mist by subjecting the same to freezing temperature. then breaking up the frozen particles of mist, then subjecting the broken particles of frozen mist to melting temperatures and then segregating the component hydrocarbons of the petroleum as they are successively developed by melting under the rising temperatures.

7. The method of treating bitumen and all of its component parts which consists in converting the same into microscopic particles, then freezing said particles, then breaking up the frozen particles and then subjecting said particles to temperature sufficient to vaporize and segregate the component hydrocarbons forming said bitumen.

8. The method of treating bitumen and all of the component parts thereof which consists in breaking the bitumen into microscopic particles, adding a predetermined amount of moisture in the form of mist to said particles, freezing the particles of bitumen and moisture, then breaking up the frozen particles and then subjecting the broken particles to melting temperatures sufficient to segregate the component hydrocarbons of said bitumen.

9. The method of treating crude petroleum which consists in converting all of the component elements of said crude petroleum into mist particles, freezing said mist particles, breamng the frozen mist particles into smaller particles so as to break up the molecular structure of the hydrolcarbon including the moisture of the product under treatment and then subjecting the broken particles to melting temperatures and thereby segregating the component hydrocarbons of the treated crude petroleum.

PAUL WASHBU'RN. 

